Judy Shepard Responds to Rep. Foxx

Judy Shepard appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC on Thursday night to discuss prospects for the passage of federal hates-crime legislation, and to address Rep. Virginia Foxx's comment that the idea that Matthew Shepard's murder was a hate crime is "a hoax."

“Attacks of lesser consequence have been said about Matt since the beginning,” said Shepard, noting the vitriolic debate that surrounded the hate-crimes legislation in 2007. “I did not expect it to ever be called a hoax.”

Foxx later clarified her comments, saying that the use of “hoax” was a poor word choice, and that the death of 21-year-old Matthew was a tragedy.

Judy Shepard, the executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, declined to accept Foxx’s attempt at an apology, The Advocate reports.